[downandout]

"Contrast that with San Diego or New York, where the environment is not actively trying to kill you during most of the year"

Las Vegas is inordinately hot only 3 months of the year. The rest of the time the weather is relatively mild. That's hardly "actively trying to kill you during most of the year". Many people who visit Las Vegas only do so during the summer, so it seems like it's hot most of the time to them, but this is a myth.

Having grown up in San Diego and currently living in Las Vegas, I'm not sure what special advantages you are implying it has that would enable it to be "advantageous to ordinary economic conduct" vs Las Vegas. It's next to an ocean full of water that you cannot drink (without expensive water treatment). Produce is grown in California (with water that it deprives Las Vegas of), but mostly not near San Diego, so it has to be transported in to support its massive population, just like it has to be to Las Vegas. In fact, the agricultural centers of California are approximately equidistant to both San Diego and Las Vegas, perhaps +/- 100 miles.

Even putting aside the other issues with California - overpopulation, insane politics, high crime rates, absurdly high state income tax, high cost of living, etc. - I don't see any serious advantage that Southern California in general has over Las Vegas, unless you just like the beach (and even then...it's a 3.5 hour drive or 30 minute flight to Southern California). In fact, many Californians are starting to realize this, and are invading us.

[AlbertCory]

You're not the first one to point out that Southern California is a desert, and has to import water from elsewhere just to exist, e.g. "Chinatown."

However, the weather is way better than Vegas, and I'm not just talking about summer. A cold ocean has its advantages.

[downandout]

However, the weather is way better than Vegas, and I'm not just talking about summer. A cold ocean has its advantages.

I grew up inland San Diego, and I can tell you that our summer days there routinely topped 100 degrees. I agree that if you are fortunate enough to live very close to the water, you do have some weather advantages over Vegas. For me, it's certainly not enough to warrant putting up with the other, man-made issues in California, even if I had a place right on the beach. But I agree that for some people, the (slightly) nicer weather is worth all of the expense and putting up with the nonsense.

[AlbertCory]

That's true: inland, away from the marine influence, it's pretty hot. Even in the Bay Area, Antioch is way hotter than Mountain View.

The weather here is very simple: Low pressure == cool. High pressure == hot. Alternate.

[bin_bash]

San Diego (and LA) are not deserts. That is a myth.

[AlbertCory]

What's the average rainfall? [1]

OK, not technically a "desert." But definitely not enough rain to support the population it has.

[1] http://www.laalmanac.com/images3/chart_rainfall_LA_1887_2020...

[woodruffw]

Re: economic conduct: I was referring to the fact that San Diego is on the ocean and has a crucial shipping port. Las Vegas is traversed by a highway, but that highway could just as well be served by a small town (with a very large gas station).

[EricE]

Don't forget the railroad - which was one of the major reasons Vegas got started. That and there were a few natural artesian wells in the valley.

And as for highways, the information superhighway has a significant presence in Las Vegas too - Switch was the largest datacenter in the world for over five years and it's far from the only one here.

[Cupertino95014]

Right. And San Diego and surroundings (e.g. Oceanside) have always had a huge military presence, mostly because it's on the water.

I know, I know: Area 51 and Nellis AFB.